Our Return to Independence!

As of March 2024, Loco Bloco will leave the Jamestown Community Center and become a fiscal project of Brava! For Women in the Arts. Guided by our advisory board, our staff and funders, Loco Bloco will rebuild the capacity necessary to return to the status of an independent 501c3 non profit organization. 

Commitment to Legacy
We commit to supporting the revitalization of the core qualities that defined Loco Bloco’s legacy:  

• High quality arts programming for Latina/o, Black, Indigenous and other young  people of color most impacted by institutional racism with focused attention  working with middle and high school aged youth, including Spanish speaking  newcomer youth. 

• A dynamic, creative space where young people can thrive together regardless of  gender, gender identity, orientation, class, ability, mobility, spiritual practice and  migration status. 

• An intergenerational environment where adults role model and promote positive  behaviors and guidance to youth participants. 

• Acknowledgment and honoring of the cultural history and spiritual aspects from  which the music and dance originates. 

• Building solidarity with communities world-wide in our struggles for dignity,  social justice and care for our Mother Earth. 
  

STAFF & TEACHING ARTISTS
Mayela Carrasco, Artistic Director e. mayela@locoblocosf.org
Jose Carrasco, Managing Director e. jose@locoblocosf.org
Cesar Cruz, Program Coordinator
Shaneeka Akemi Smoot, Lead Choreographer
Tico Dos Santos, Percussion Instructor
Tiombe Wiley, Dance Instructor / Principal Dancer
Carina Castillo, Costume Specialist / Designer

Loco Bloco (LB) promotes the healthy transition into adulthood for San Francisco youth by engaging them in the creation and performance of music, dance, and theater rooted in Afro-Latinx traditions. Founded by community-based artists and activists in 1994, Loco Bloco provides BIPOC youth with transformational arts experiences to foster dialogue, engagement and unity between diverse cultures in Bay Area communities. Based on frameworks that emerged in Latin America of artistic creation as an emancipatory process, we empower youth to embrace the cultural legacies of their ancestors, overcome discrimination and create positive change. For 30 years thousands of young people and their families have participated in LB programs and annual productions, strengthening their connections to cultural traditions, wellness, and becoming leaders/culture-bearers for their communities.